Medical Journal Houston Vol. 11, Issue 14, May 2015

Legal Affairs: NPDB releases a revised version of the NPDB Guidebook, see page 3

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The Leading Source for Healthcare Business News
May 2015 • Volume 12, Issue 2 • $3.50

Special Report: Nursing

Nurses as knowledge workers

INSIDE
▼
UTMB researchers
develop Ebola treatment
see page 14

INDEX
▼
Legal Affairs......................3
Financial Perspectives.......4
THA................................5
Integrative Medicine.........6
Hospital Headlines...........7
Moving On Up..................8
Physicians’ Forum.............9
Pharmaceutical
Forefront.........................14

By Barbara Bonificio,
MS, RN-BC, UTMB
Health Director of
Nursing Excellence,
Director of Patient Care
Services, and Assistant
Chief Nursing Officer
Each year Nurses Week celebrates the role
nurses play in delivering the highest level
of quality care to patients. The National
Nurses Week 2015 theme, “Ethical Practice.
Quality Care,” recognizes the importance
of ethics in nursing and acknowledges
the strong commitment, compassion and
care nurses display in their practice and
profession. The theme is an important part
of the American Nurses Association’s 2015
Year of Ethics outreach to promote and
advocate for the health, safety and rights of
nurses and patients.
Nurses are recognized by the public for
upholding high ethical standards and
are highly trusted as a result. An annual
Gallup survey shows the public has ranked
nursing as the top profession for honesty and
ethical standards for 13 straight years. In
2014, 80 percent of Americans rated nurses’
honesty and ethical standards as “very high”
or “high,” 15 percentage points above any

other profession.
To maintain the trust of the public, nurses
are working to achieve the best outcomes
for the patient in several ways, including
improving the quality of care, being at
the forefront of evidence- based practice,
leading and disseminating nursing research,
leading decisions in technology acquisition
and implementation, weaving teamwork

and innovation into the work of nurses,
and involving nurse clinicians in decisions
about their practice.
Nurses are taking a leadership role in
quality initiatives to improve patient safety,
care coordination, and patient/family
engagement. Up to 20 percent of Medicare
Please see NURSES page 18

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Breaking Ground: Texas Children’s Hospital Engages FKP for expansion:
Planning underway for new 19-story tower at Main Campus
What is a Health and
Wellness Coach?
see page 6

. . . . . . . . . . . .

In collaboration with Texas Children’s
Hospital, FKP Architects announced a
major expansion that will focus on bringing
access to more critically ill patients. The
hospital is embarking on a $506 million
19-story patient tower addition, part of a
$575 million capital investment at the Texas

will be on top of an existing six-story base
that is adjacent to Texas Children’s Pavilion
for Women. FKP’s Houston office will
lead planning and design for the project,
expected to be complete in 2018.

Texas Children’s Hospital new
19-story tower at Main Campus
Children’s Main Campus. The new tower

Half of all 9-1-1 and EMS pediatric transports
in Houston are treated at the Texas
Children’s Main Campus. This patient
volume combined with higher technology
by the bedside and family-centered care is
challenging current space. The new tower,
called Pediatric Tower E, will initially have
129 beds for pediatric and cardiovascular
intensive care, and new operating rooms.
It will also be the home of the relocated
Texas Children’s Heart Center, including
a new outpatient clinic, cardiovascular
operating rooms, dedicated cardiology
Please see BREAKING GROUND page 16

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